1
as in misleading
tending or having power to deceive
in his deceptive answer about the vehicle's history, the salesman said that the used car had never been hit by another car
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fraudulent
given to or marked by cheating and deception
a mail-order firm indicted for deceptive business practices
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deceptive
Critics call the setup deceptive, saying preset amounts, fine print and urgency push quick donations that mask the uneven split.
—
Joseph Morton, Dallas Morning News, 30 Jan. 2026
Locked doors, bloody bits in trunks, deceptive lovers with ill intentions.
—Literary Hub, 28 Jan. 2026
Even one of the more reputable internet weather personalities, Ryan Hall, whose YouTube channel staffs a team of meteorologists, and who has more than three million subscribers, often opts for flashy graphics and deceptive provocations to increase engagement.
—Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2026
The anti-price gouging measure, as written, would declare it an unfair or deceptive trade practice if a business charges a higher price than the average for a similar good or service within the same county.
—Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deceptive
Joseph Morton, Dallas Morning News, 30 Jan. 2026
Locked doors, bloody bits in trunks, deceptive lovers with ill intentions.
—Literary Hub, 28 Jan. 2026
Even one of the more reputable internet weather personalities, Ryan Hall, whose YouTube channel staffs a team of meteorologists, and who has more than three million subscribers, often opts for flashy graphics and deceptive provocations to increase engagement.
—Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2026
The anti-price gouging measure, as written, would declare it an unfair or deceptive trade practice if a business charges a higher price than the average for a similar good or service within the same county.
—Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deceptive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deceptive
Adjective
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Behind the scenes, Newsom’s staff have taken a similar approach and tone, calling for the tabloid to change language in stories that the team feels is inaccurate or misleading.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
2 Feb. 2026
-
An administration official would make a claim about what happened, and later evidence would find these contentions to be misleading.—
Clarence Page,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Some defendants are also accused of conspiring to bribe a civilian contractor to create fraudulent military IDs for base access.—
Steve Patterson,
Florida Times-Union,
5 Feb. 2026
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Rivers used her professional connection with Event Décor Direct in Deerfield Beach to take money from the event decoration business over a three-month period in 2025, in part by making dozens of fraudulent transactions and credit card purchases, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Thursday.—
Angie DiMichele,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The racist imagery is strategically embedded within a larger narrative promoting false election fraud conspiracy theories, designed to dehumanize Black and brown voters as threats to democracy and to justify restricting their participation in elections.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
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The Iranian shadow fleet consists of tankers and associated companies that operate outside normal commercial channels, often using false identities, ship-to-ship transfers, and deceptive documentation to hide Iranian crude and refined products.—
Claire Carter,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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In a world where most sports have a shady underbelly and the fixes often are in one way or another, no one is ever going to tell you that boxing of all competitions is an avarice or sticky-fingers-free zone.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
3 Feb. 2026
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When Leo breaks his leg and Pia is allowed into the wider world to take over his shady delivery business, Pia begins to ask questions about her family’s past and the secrets her father may be hiding.—
Caroline Carlson,
Literary Hub,
2 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Erdoğan mocked these initiatives and described them as dishonest.—
Kaya Genç,
The Dial,
3 Feb. 2026
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Even Americans who have grown habituated to Trump’s excesses have been shaken by these killings and the reflexively cruel and dishonest response from the administration.—
Hillary Rodham Clinton,
The Atlantic,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Ron Leibman and Paul Sand round out their gang, with Zero Mostel as the crooked attorney who serves as a go-between.—
Mark Olsen,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Jan. 2026
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Descend its famously crooked path, flanked by cascading hydrangeas and storybook Edwardian homes—then watch cars zigzag through eight tight switchbacks while tourists crowd the sidewalks, snapping photos of its surreal descent.—
Lewis Nunn,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deceptive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deceptive. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
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